Slamming Taxi Doors!

Hey everyone,

When the movie The Ring 2 was released here in Dubai this past weekend, my friend and I decided to go watch it. We two are horror movies buffs and are not scared easily. She called me up and we decided to go for the 9pm show. It is 8pm now. I quickly hung up, changed my clothes and got my wallet and ran out to the main street. I needed to get a taxi, go to her house and from there go to the movie theatre.

So I am standing on the main street. It is Friday evening, 8pm. There is a lot of traffic. I stop one taxi and get in. "Sahara Center please." He shakes his head and says he cannot go. Aargh! I get out, and find another taxi in five minutes. I get in: Sahara Center please. He shakes his head as well. I get so annoyed. "Why can't you go man?" He tells me that the traffic is too much and he is not going that way. I get out. it is 820, gosh, only 40 more mins to the movie. I need to go to my friend's hosue first and then to the cinema. I hope we can make it for the movie. I finally find another taxi at 830, and when I approach the door to open it, the driver quickly locks it. I bend down and ask him what the problem is. He asked me: where are you going? Sahara center I said. He just drove off; no explanations. That's really rude of him!

840pm, I find another taxi. 20 minutes to the movie. I get in the car. I look at the driver, sympathetically, and told him to go to Sahara Center as I was late already. What this driver did was lie to me.

"I have another passenger waiting for me," he said.
"Oh yeah, where is he? I dont see anyone!"
"He is waiting for me at Rolla, I need to go there."
"So why did you stop to pick me up?" I asked him.
"Just get out of the car now," he said sternly.
"What, I am not getting off! You tell me why did you pick me up, and then tell me there is another passenger. It is obvious you dont want to go to Sahara Center," I said to him.
"I am NOT going to Sahara Center."

I got so mad. I got out of the car and I slammed the door into his face. I was so furious. So many taxis, no one is going where I want to go and only 15 minutes for the movie. This is pathetic. I turned away from the taxi, and suddenly I heard loud honking. It was a continous BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEP! Gosh, thats so annoying. I wasnt looking towards the car that was honking. For several minutes, the honking went on. I turned around to see what the deal was, and I saw something so horrible. I saw the taxi driver raising his arm at me. I knew what that meant. He was asking me to f*** off, basically. I got more annoyed. I dont swear or anything, so quietly, in my heart I said, God forgive that man for his rudeness.

So I came home that night, and I realized that I was the one who was the rude one. I should not have slammed the door at his face. It is his car, his livelihood, and I had no right to slam the door of the car. I did not respect his property, and I was not being patient and calm about the situation. I displayed anger and frustration. I was so mad at myself then. I needed to reconcile with my feelings and understand why I did what I did.

By the way, I got the taxi uimmediately after this particular taxi and got to my friend's place-- and we did not watch the movie for some other reason!

Mansur